BHUBANESWAR: Devotees’ wait for an air-conditioned reception centre, where they could relax peacefully before entering the Shree Jagannath temple at Puri, might take a bit longer even as the state government has zeroed in on January 17, 2024, for the inauguration of the ambitious Srimandir Parikrama project. The Shree Jagannatha reception centre is the most important component of the project.
While the Odisha Bridge & Construction Corporation (OBCC) Limited - the company under the Works department which is implementing the project - is racing against time to complete all the facilities under the 75-metre heritage corridor project, work on the reception centre has been delayed.
Sources said the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had proposed the National Monument Authority (NMA) under the Culture Ministry to construct two reception centres - a small one to accommodate around 500 to 800 people and a larger one that can house 5,000 to 6,000 people at one time. While the larger one will come up near the SJTA office, work on the smaller one is in its initial phase at the southeast corner of the temple.
Officials attributed the delay to getting the design of the larger structure re-approved by the NMA, which had found faults in the initial design. In September last year, the NMA granted a no-objection certificate for the construction of the reception centre outside the prohibited zone of the shrine. In the approved design, the height of the reception centre was restricted to 7.7 metres.
OBCC managing director Jaya Krishna Das said both the reception centres will come up near the temple. “Land acquisition for the reception centre near SJTA office is underway with the help of the district administration. This centre will be big enough to accommodate 6,000 people,” he said.
On the other hand, officials said work on the Parikrama around the shrine, amenities for devotees, and re-development of 15 mutts will be completed before January 15. Around 90 per cent of the work on the facilities has been completed, they informed. On the west, north and south directions of the temple, six toilets for men, women and sevayats; three shelter pavilions, a mini clock room and an electric room have been completed.
As far as the re-development of 15 mutts is concerned, the small temples (where deities were worshipped) inside the mutts that were left untouched during demolitions for the project, are being repaired and renovated. Among them, four mutts - Badachhata mutt, Chhauni mutt, Uttaraparswa mutt and Kakudikhai mutt - are located within the prohibited area. NMA officials had last week reviewed work on these four mutts. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone of the project in November 2021 for the development of the area within the 75-metre corridor of the boundary wall of Jagannath temple. It is being implemented for Rs 943 crore.